Map of Secrets
by Conradigan
Summary: When an old friend comes to Roma, Ezio finds himself being dragged in to something that could change the fate of the Brotherhood forever..and the world. Conspiracies, secrets and lies are plenty full in this up and coming mystery/thriller style story! :


**First story, hope you enjoy. Forgive me if there are any mistakes, I tried to look up times and names and stuff. (:  
****Disclaimer: I own nothing but my plot and my character(s).**

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Chapter I  
When in Rome..

_"__Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof.__"  
_Khalil Gibran

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**Location**: Roma, Italy.  
**Time:** Noon.**  
Date:** Augustus 19th, 1505.

The eagle soared high through the sky overhead, free to go wherever it pleased.

For a moment, the traveler pondered how he and the bird were similar in that aspect. Free to go wherever you want, whenever you want. Though unlike the bird, he could not go without worries and responsibility. He watched as the eagle searched for prey and then flew off towards the city after finding nothing. Roma. It had been eight years since he had last set foot here. From his spot on a rocky hill to the east, the city seemed to spread out far to the horizon. It was larger than he remembered. He could see the Castel Sant'Angelo to the north, a place that he would be glad to never have to go near. The last time he was in this city, he was being flogged and beaten inside those stone walls, under the vicious eye of a man named Cesare Borgia. It was not a pleasant memory, but news had reached him in his travels that an Italian Assassin had killed Cesare about a year ago, something that had brought a smile to his face.

Turning around, he climbed on to his horse and began his descent to the city. One of the reasons he loved this land was because of the beautiful countryside, ripe with fruit, trees and green shrubs. It was almost breathtaking for him as he gazed upon it, as this was so unlike the land he had grown up in back in Moscow, where dead soil and rainy weather were abundant. The sightseeing would have to wait, though, and he was now nearing the outer walls. There was a good amount of people passing through the gate, some wealthy merchants and others farmers, and so the traveler didn't have to try hard to blend in. The guard's paid him no attention as he rode by and instead focused on a shady group of mercenaries walking up, foreginers as well by the look of them. Their unkempt, long hair was kept in check only by headbands and their faces were adorned in odd facepaint, and they all wielded large axes. Something about them unnerved the traveler. As they neared, the guards approached them with weapons at the ready. The traveler only briefly overheard the two groups arguing before he was out of earshot.

It took him little time before he was now walking the streets of Roma. The narrow walkways were crowded with people, which gave him little maneuverability with his horse. He found a nearby stable and sold the horse, which gave him a nice hefty coin pouch in return. For a brief second, the traveler stood there, watching the people walk by and taking in the scenery. It was short-lived, however, as a patrol of guards walked around the corner and came his way. He turned away as they passed, trying to inconspicuously hide the sword on his belt from view. Though he wasn't familiar with the laws in Roma, most other cities he had stopped at forbid commoners from carrying weapons, a crime punishable by death. Once they were gone, he decided to get to work and leave pleasantries for another time. He walked down an small alley to his right, which was deserted and out of sight from the main road. With the flick of his right wrist, a hidden blade with an elegant curved end popped out. The traveler then proceeded to climb the alley wall, grabbing ledges and cracks using the hookblade to propel him further up.

Once on the rooftop, he began hopping on to nearby roofs to reach his destination as soon as possible. The people on the street either didn't seem to notice the strange man jumping over their heads, or they were so used to seeing it that they didn't even bother looking up. Either way, his progress was going unhindered. A little over ten minutes of roof hopping, the traveler stopped on building that was sitting along a river. Across the water sat a small island with a tall central building at it's center, one he had seen only once before. To his right was a bridge that led to the island, so he descended down the backside of the building and onto the road below. A few people were hanging in the area and gave him weird looks once he landed on the ground, but said nothing and went about their business. Good, that meant no trouble. He quickly crossed the bridge and up the stairs at the other end. After circling the building, he came to a small courtyard with a few stores on the lower terrace, and a walkway on the upper part. A short hallway led to a door into the building, and after checking around to make sure nobody was paying attention, the traveler knocked a code on the door.

"Who goes there?"A muffled voice answered after a few minutes.

The traveler looked around once more and then lowered his voice. "Nothing is true, everything is permitted."

It was silent for a moment, then the sound of locks being turned was heard. A moment later, the door opened and a man dressed in a white tunic appeared. His hood and face mask concealed his face, though his beady eyes could be seen and they took in the traveler. A sword hung from his waist and he let his hand rest on the handle in a cautious manner. He seemed to be reluctant about the man, but that was cleared up when the traveler showed him the worn insignia on his shoulder.

"Welcome, brother."The hooded man nodded and stood aside, motioning for him to enter.

Nodding his thanks, the traveler entered and walked down the stairs on the other side. He stepped into a large room with bookcases scattered against the walls, tables set up with papers on them and weapon racks on the far side. A few similarly hooded figures stood by a table and discussed something over a map, and looked up once he arrived. One in particular smiled and approached him, waving for the others to continue without him.

"_Che sorpresa_. It is good to see you, Conrad."Ezio shook the man's hand and patted his shoulder at the same time. "It has been too long."

"Yes, it has, my friend." The traveler, Conrad, nodded. "I hope you do not mind me dropping in, unexpected and uninvited. I would have sent word, but I had little time to spare on my journey."

"Think nothing of it. You are always welcome here."Ezio motioned to a nearby sitting area, where they walked over and sat across from each other. "Last time we spoke, you were on a boat sailing for the Holy Land. How did your journey fair?"

"It faired well. It was reinvigorating to visit the birthplace of our Brotherhood, though it saddens me that it has been left in such a poor state. It's people are a starving one, scavenging to survive and near all trace of our order has been lost." Conrad mumbled something incoherent beneath his breath and sighed. "It's those damn Templars. Nobody prospers under their iron fist, and they resort to bullying the populace for meekly entertainment...it sickens me."

Ezio nodded in agreement. "Only a coward strikes an unarmed innocent. They will be made to pay for their acts of cruelty soon enough, though it may not be us who collects."

"I will see to it personally that they do indeed pay. I won't rest until the world is free of the Templar plague."

"That is a noble cause, but I suspect you're not here to talk about ambitions?"His Italian companion accepted two glasses of water from one of the apprentices."_Grazie._"

"No, I'm here to ask something of you," Accepting one of the glasses, Conrad took a swig and took a deep breath afterwards. "For your help, actually. My journey to the Holy Land was not one of leisure, as you most certainly know. I was- am - on an assignment that is of the upmost importance to the Brotherhood."

"I'll help in any way I can."Ezio smiled. "What is it you would ask of me?"

Conrad reached into his tunic and pulled a leather tube out, laying it on the table. He opened it and carefully shimmied out a scroll. It was old, very old from the looks of it and Ezio found himself quite intrigued by it. Unraveling it slowly, Conrad spread it out to reveal a map of the Mediterranean on one side and what looked like an epitaph of some kind on the other, though it was written in a language he did not know.

"Six years ago, my father found this scroll buried deep in a hidden cave along the Cyprus coastline. There were others like it, but they were far too old to move. Crumbled at his very touch. Their text were weathered by time and the sea air, making them indecipherable. This one, however, was sealed inside a leather tube and placed in a locked box beneath the shrine that was there, one dedicated to the Greek god Poseidon I believe. The scroll was far older than the shrine, meaning that it was already there when the shrine was set up. I doubt the Greeks knew of it, but whoever had written, wanted _this_ particular scroll to survive the sands of time."

"Fascinating.."Ezio examined the map and found it was outdated. It still showed the island of Typhon as existing, though an earthquake had sunk it over six centuries ago. He also saw numerous other locations he had never even heard of or that no longer existed, making him wonder just how old the map actually was. He then turned his attention to the text, written in a very simple and primitive language from the looks of it. "What about this, do you know what it says?"

Conrad shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. I have taken it to several talented decrypters and not one of them could identify the language, let alone decipher it. They could tell me, however, that it pre-dates any other known tongue that exists today."

Ezio raised an eyebrow. "And you think I can help you decipher it?"

"Not exactly.."Conrad pointed to the map and when Ezio looked at it, he saw something he missed the first time. There were a dozen small marks all over it, too faded to see unless one squinted. "I think this is a treasure map of sorts. And this," He pointed to a mark that hovered over Cyprus. "Is where the cave was found. Where this scroll was found. I spent the last four years traveling to the other locations marked and sought whatever was left behind, but..."

"But what?"

The Russian frowned. "I wasn't the only one who knew about the map, it seems. Several of the spots were crawling with Templars. I don't know how they knew, as this scroll was protected by my father until he died and then it was passed to me, and I haven't let it out of my sight. There is no possible way they could have known about those locations, unless..."

"..Theres another map."Ezio finished, finding himself being pulled in to the conversation.

Conrad nodded. "That is what I thought as well. The Templar's are no mediocre thieves, either. Whatever is buried at those locations, I fear it is more than just coins if it has attracted their attention so suddenly. And if they want it so badly, then it would surely spell our doom, which is why I must find it first."

"'It'?You believe it is a singular artifact in so many places?"

"I found..things at the locations I visited." He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Strange artifacts not of this world..and they look as if they are _pieces_ of something..something larger."

Ezio was about to say something, but was interuppted by one of his apprentices bursting through the door and running over, fear spread across her face.

"Mentor!Come quickly!The _Rosa in Fiore_ has been attacked!"

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**End of first one. It's kinda short, but I tried to make it interesting to make up for it. (:**


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